Chapter 60: The Clever Assistant

Unlike Xing Liu, Minato didn't seem the least bit bothered by the recent mishap. After Xing Liu stood up from him, Minato calmly got to his feet and patted the dust off his clothes.

"Have you had enough of this little farce by now?"

"Since you've had your fun, isn't it about time we discussed something serious?" Minato sighed helplessly, glancing at Xing Liu, who was squatting on the floor, drawing circles in the dirt.

It was just two men falling to the ground together—did his mood really need to take such a sudden downturn?

Besides, in their world, wasn't physical contact like this a fairly normal occurrence?

"Don't talk to me. Let me sit by myself for a while..." Xing Liu's voice carried a trace of embarrassment as he recalled the earlier scene where their faces had been far too close for comfort. He decided it might be best to head home and let his wife soothe his wounded soul.

He initially thought about glancing back at Minato, but that mortifying moment kept replaying in his head, making it impossible to face him directly.

Instead, Xing Liu turned his back to Minato and uttered a line that made the latter want to bash his head against the wall. "I know you have something to discuss with me... but you're just going to have to hold it in. I don't want to see you right now."

"Goodbye, my foolish elder brother..." With that, Xing Liu opened a spatial portal and disappeared from Minato's office.

---

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to be doing now?

Staring at the empty space where Xing Liu had vanished, Minato couldn't help but ask himself these existential questions.

Just moments ago, that lazy troublemaker had been right in front of him, yet now, after declaring his "departure from home," he had vanished without a trace.

Turning to his assistant with a bewildered look, Minato asked, "Do you have any idea what that guy was here for?"

As far as he could recall, he hadn't done anything particularly outrageous. He'd only complained about Xing Liu a little—something everyone does now and then, right? So why had Xing Liu suddenly stormed off like that?

The assistant, seeing Minato so distressed, knew that if she didn't provide an explanation, her boss might overthink this for hours. Resigned, she mustered her courage and spoke up.

"Lord Minato, I actually know why Lord Xing Liu left so suddenly..."

Her words were like a lifeline to the confused Minato. In an instant, he was in front of her, gripping her shoulders with both hands and shouting excitedly:

"Quick, explain why that brat suddenly left! Was it because he was upset I said a few bad things about him?"

Looking at her overly animated boss, the assistant could only pray internally that Lady Kushina didn't walk in on this scene. Otherwise, today might very well be her last day on the job.

"Well, you see—"

"Oh, I thought something serious had happened, but it turns out you're just busy flirting with your assistant!"

Just as the assistant began to speak, a cold voice interrupted them. She froze. Her prayers had gone unanswered—Lady Kushina was standing right there in the doorway.

"So, are you saying I didn't satisfy you enough last night? Is that why you still have the energy to tease your assistant?" Kushina sauntered into the office, her sharp gaze locking onto her husband.

---

Faced with this escalating situation, Minato remained frozen, his hands still on his assistant's shoulders, wide-eyed as he stared at his approaching wife.

"Impressive, Lord Hokage," Kushina said with a wry smile. "You even dare to flirt with your assistant right in front of me, huh? I suppose I'm just the third wheel here, aren't I?"

Knowing she had to act fast to avoid becoming collateral damage, the assistant quickly shook off Minato's hands and calmly walked over to Kushina.

She explained everything—how Xing Liu had stumbled, almost kissed Minato, and subsequently fled in mortification.

---

"So this was all because of that brat Xing Liu?" Kushina eyed Minato suspiciously. After considering the assistant's explanation, she was mostly convinced. After all, there were only two people in Konoha capable of making Minato lose his composure like this: herself and that troublemaker Xing Liu.

As for their son Naruto? Please—what kind of parent loses their temper over their kid?

And if they did, well, just give the brat a good scolding! If one round doesn't work, try two. Whatever brings you peace of mind. Of course, remember to hold back—you'll just have to spend ages coaxing the kid afterward.

---

The assistant finally let out a sigh of relief as Kushina's temper seemed to cool. Tomorrow, at least, there wouldn't be any extra bodies to fish out of the river.

"By the way, where's Xing Liu now? I didn't see him when I came in."

"He probably went home, Lady Kushina," the assistant replied. "He left shortly before you arrived. Apparently, he needed some time to recover after... well, you know."

The assistant hesitated, then spilled the details of Xing Liu and Minato's tumble.

Instead of being angry, Kushina leaned in close to Minato and said with a serious expression, "Next time something that eye-catching happens, make sure to let me know, okay?"

"Otherwise... well, how could I miss out on such juicy gossip?"

--

Get (Naruto: The Imitation Ninja) Collection for advanced access to the full story chapters: patreon.com/KZ478